Iconic Scottish museum named among the world's top-rated dinosaur museums
With Jurassic World: Rebirth roaring into cinemas this July, travel insurance specialist InsureandGo has unveiled the world's top-rated dinosaur museums, perfect for fossil enthusiasts eager to explore prehistoric wonders.
Edinburgh's National Museum of Scotland claimed an impressive seventh place, outshining London's Natural History Museum and New York's American Museum of Natural History.
While it may offer fewer dinosaur exhibits than some global giants, the museum's vast collection spans from dinosaurs to space exploration, including Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. Visitors can also enjoy panoramic views of Edinburgh from its rooftop terrace, along with dinosaur-themed workshops and trails that engage younger visitors.
Reviewers praise its wide-ranging displays, noting it has 'everything from dinosaurs to the moon landings.'
Jurassic World: Rebirth, widely tipped as the summer's most anticipated movie, marks the seventh chapter in the Jurassic Park franchise.
Starring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey, and filmed across Thailand, Malta, and the UK, the film has already sparked excitement among fans worldwide.
Topping the list is Canada's Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, based in Drumheller, Alberta, which boasts a staggering 97.3% of reviews awarding it four or five stars. Home to over 130,000 fossils, the museum features the famous 'Black Beauty' T. rex skeleton and the most complete tyrannosaurid ever found, a predator predating T. rex by around 10 million years.
The site also gained fame as a filming location for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Visitors recommend setting aside a couple of days to fully explore the museum and hike the scenic Badlands nearby.
New Zealand punches above its weight with two museums in the global top ten. The Tūhura Otago Museum in Dunedin, now renamed in 2022 to reflect its Māori roots meaning 'to discover, investigate and explore,' is home to New Zealand's largest fossil plesiosaur and one of the finest moa remains collections, moa being a giant flightless bird that went extinct roughly 600 years ago.
The museum also features an immersive tropical rainforest butterfly house.
The UK's highest-rated natural history museum is found at Oxford University, outscoring London's iconic counterpart.
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History houses the only soft tissue remains of the extinct dodo and is architecturally designed to showcase geological diversity, with columns crafted from different British rocks.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Letitia Smith, Communications Manager at InsureandGo, said: 'We all travel for different reasons, whether it's sampling new dishes, swimming in turquoise waters, or exploring fascinating cultures. For many people, that includes visiting a fascinating destination, like a dinosaur museum.
'With the new Jurassic Park movie on the way, we wanted to highlight the museums that truly capture the awe of natural history, based on real visitor reviews. If your summer plans take you near these top-rated museums, it's the perfect chance to experience some of the world's most top-rated prehistory.
'Thankfully, dinosaurs are no longer a threat, but travel can still be unpredictable. So, protect yourself with comprehensive travel insurance, and keep your adrenaline fix within the museum!'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on the public's dinomania: passion for palaeontology endures through the ages
On-screen discussions of DNA and off-screen scientific consultants notwithstanding, no one goes to see a Jurassic Park movie for its realism. Yet one of the less convincing moments in Jurassic World Rebirth, the latest in the franchise, is unrelated to oversized velociraptors. It's the palaeontologist Dr Henry Loomis complaining of shrinking public interest in his field. This spring, the BBC revived its 1999 hit series Walking With Dinosaurs. Not a week goes by without headlines announcing the discovery of a new species or new theories on how they behaved. Publishers produce an endless stream of dino-related fact and fiction, particularly for children. Palaeontology – at least when focused on the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic, or our hominin forebears – has long exerted an extraordinary hold on the public imagination. Yet it's a marginal field in terms of academic prestige and scientific funding, as Dr Chris Manias, a historian of science, points out in the essay collection Palaeontology in Public, published last year. (Dinosaurs are themselves a small part of the discipline; the vast mass of fossils are invertebrates, micro-organisms or plants. Good luck getting a movie made about stromatolites). The spectacular scale and fearsome nature of creatures such as Spinosaurus, the magic of conjuring extraordinary life from a handful of rocks tens of millions years old, and the mirroring of myths about dragons and other ancient beasts may all play a part in its appeal. Entertainment has always helped: the Crystal Palace dinosaurs were created in the 1850s to encourage interest in recent discoveries (Richard Owen, who coined the term dinosaur, provided advice.) Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel The Lost World portrayed a South American plateau where prehistoric creatures still roamed. Some of today's palaeontologists were drawn to the field by watching the first Jurassic Park movie as children. But the science itself has been central too. In the 19th century, the US palaeontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope vied to outshine each other in the bitter 'Bone Wars', with academic rigour and ethics taking second place to headline-grabbing glory. In the 'dinosaur renaissance' of the 1960s, experts showed the creatures to be more sophisticated, active and interesting than previously imagined. The feathered dinosaurs found in Liaoning, China, in the 1990s have revolutionised our understanding – even if the Jurassic franchise makers, and many dinosaur fans, still draw the line at a downy Tyrannosaurus rex. In recent years, experts have identified a new dinosaur every week or so. New technology is unlocking details of their appearance and behaviour. The original Jurassic Park was a tourist resort inhabited by dinosaurs brought back from extinction. In the latest film, the plot is driven by big pharma's hunt for prehistoric DNA that could drive a medical breakthrough. That parallels the tension Dr Manias notes around palaeontology itself: is it primarily a 'luxury', which entertains more than it enlightens, or 'useful'? Jaw-dropping giants like Patagotitan still captivate adults and, especially, children. But there are lessons here too. In the past, the field appeared to offer a narrative of progress, as lumbering creatures gave way to mammals and ultimately – tada! – the triumph of humans. Now it is an instructive tale of uncertainty, offering powerful insights into time, nature and how life has fared at times of huge and rapid changes in climactic conditions. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Daily Record
7 hours ago
- Daily Record
Fantastic Four star Julian McMahon dies of cancer aged 56 as wife pays tribute
Julian McMahon, also known for his roles in Charmed and Nip/Tuck, has died at the age of 56 following a battle with cancer. Charmed and Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon has died aged 56 after a private battle with cancer. He passed away in Clearwater, Florida on July 2, with his wife paying tribute to the 'beloved' Charmed star. "With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer," Kelly McMahon told Deadline. "Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories." The Australian performer, son of former Prime Minister Billy McMahon, began his journey as a model before transitioning into acting during the late 80s, reports the Mirror. He featured in Home and Away from 1990 to 1991 before making his film debut alongside Elliott Gould in Wet and Wild Summer. He subsequently relocated to Hollywood to pursue his acting ambitions, appearing in NBC's Another World in 1993 before securing parts in Profiler, in Charmed as Cole Turner, and Fantastic Four as Dr Doom. Audiences will remember him for securing his first leading television role in Ryan Murphy's Nip/Tuck, which spanned six seasons and earned him a Golden Globe nomination for portraying Dr Christian Troy. His leading man status saw him star in FBI: Most Wanted as Jess LaCroix for three seasons, before his departure in 2022. His final two film roles were as Scally in The Surfer and Chick Carlson in The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. This year, he also portrayed Prime Minister Stephen Roos in Netflix's The Residence. Julian tied the knot with Dannii Minogue in 1994 after they met on the set of Home and Away a few years earlier. He even featured in her music video for This Is It, which was inspired by their relationship. Their careers often kept them apart, with him working in the US and her in the UK. A year and a half later, they decided to part ways. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. In 1999, he wed Baywatch star Brooke Burns, and they welcomed a daughter in 2000 before ending their marriage in 2001. He then married for a third time in 2014 to Kelly Paniagua. He once opened up about his experience of living in America while identifying as Australian. He expressed: "I feel like I'm Australian on the inside and American on the outside or something. I would never want to leave it behind either. "I love Australians, Australianisms, I love my part of being Australian. I love where I grew up and how I grew up and, you know, I wouldn't change it for the world."
Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Daily Record
Magnificent Scots railway station considered to be one of world's most beautiful
Built in the 19th century Wemyss Bay became home to what many call the world's most beautiful station In the 19th century, Scotland underwent a leisure revolution. With the arrival of the railways and improvements in workers' rights, many Scots found themselves with both the time and the means to explore their own country for the first time. It was during this golden era that some of the nation's favourite holiday spots were born, either emerging as new resorts or growing from existing coastal towns. For Glaswegians, one of the most popular pastimes was heading "doon the watter", a trip to the Ayrshire coast or the islands of the Firth of Clyde. Back then, the journey was traditionally made by steamer. But with the rise of the railway, travellers could reach the coast far quicker before hopping aboard a connecting boat to destinations like Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The departure point for this journey was the now-iconic Wemyss Bay in what is today Inverclyde. Though still a relatively small village, Wemyss Bay is home to what many believe to be the most beautiful railway station in the world. The original building, constructed in 1865 by Irish labourers, was a plain, square structure. But in 1903, it was replaced by a breathtaking architectural gem that still stands proudly today. Designed by architect James Miller in the elegant Queen Anne style, the station is crowned with a 60-foot Italianate clock tower. Step inside and you'll find a concourse bathed in natural light through a magnificent glazed, steel-trussed roof. VisitScotland describes it as a 'wrought-iron and glass palace'. Sunshine floods the circular booking office, while a gracefully curved ramp leads passengers down to the pier and the ferry across to Bute. Despite being granted Category A listing by Historic Scotland, the station was neglected for many years. Fortunately, it has undergone a full restoration and now also features a charming bar and bookshop. It continues to dazzle visitors, with many taking to review sites to sing its praises. On TripAdvisor, the station holds a glowing 4.8 rating, higher even than Edinburgh Castle. One reviewer wrote: 'One of the hidden gems on the national network. The architecture of this quiet station is stunning. "Sweeping curves and canopies. Connects with trains to Glasgow and ferries to the isles. Add in the cafe and bookshop and it is worth a visit in itself.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Undiscovered Scotland goes even further, calling it 'the most beautiful railway station (and pier) in the world', noting: 'The station is beautiful not so much for its half-timbered mock Tudor exterior as for its glorious interior, which... is absolutely spellbinding.' Another visitor put it simply: 'This Grade A listed railway station is up there with the architectural best. It is a gorgeous example of Victorian engineering with a curved platform sweeping down to the ferry terminal. Don't miss the bookshop, café, bar or curved urinals.' The village of Wemyss Bay itself lies just to the north of the station, while Skelmorlie in North Ayrshire sits to the south. According to VisitScotland, Wemyss Bay boasts 'a selection of local shops and places to eat' and offers 'opportunities to go sailing in the bay'. For city dwellers looking to escape, it's less than 30 miles from the centre of Glasgow and takes just an hour by train, making it an easy trip to one of Scotland's most beautiful and underrated destinations.
